Sam Hunt DUI Court Appearance Canceled, Trial Set for March

Sam Hunt did not appear at his court date set for Friday morning (Jan. 17) to answer DUI and open container charges from November, and in a surprising twist, the country superstar will face a trial on the charges in March.

Hunt was arrested for driving under the influence on Nov. 21, 2019. He was scheduled to appear in court to answer those charges on Jan. 17, but according to Radar Online, that appearance was canceled, and his case was sent to a grand jury. Court records in Davison County, Tenn., reveal that Hunt is now scheduled for a trial on both the DUI and open container charges on March 17, 2020, at 9AM, in front of Judge William Higgins.

A clerk at the courthouse confirms to Taste of Country that Hunt's initial hearing set for Friday, which was scheduled as a settlement, has been rescheduled for March 17 as a trial. It's unclear why a DUI case would go to trial instead of Hunt simply entering a plea.

"It just depends on what he and his attorney worked out," the clerk states.

Taste of Country has reached out to Hunt's attorney, Rob McKinney of May & McKinney in Nashville, for clarification, as well as representatives for Hunt. None had replied at publication time.

Hunt was pulled over in the early morning hours of Nov. 21, 2019, after Nashville police responded to a report of a vehicle driving the wrong way down a street in East Nashville. A responding officer on the scene said Hunt smelled of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes and tried to give his credit card when asked for his driver's license.

Hunt's blood alcohol level was .173, more than twice the legal limit of .08 in Tennessee. Officers found two empty beers in the "Kinfolks" singer's car, and he admitted to drinking alcohol "recently."